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6 Responses to “Keep your booger-hook off the bang-switch”

I once loaded an older Bersa .380, and hit the decocker, and that gun went “BANG”. When the gun was taken apart, we found a groove worn in the bar that was suppose to block the firing pin, the groove now allowed the FP to reach the cartridge. But I agree to get a discharge with a DA wheelgun, one has to get stupid.

I was shooting a .357 Ruger GP-100 once upon a time at an outdoor range. I was shooting “single action” by cocking the hammer back, trying to hit marshmallow Peeps bunnies out on the 25 yard berm (Hey, it was nearly Easter!). Just as I prepared to fire, I felt a horrible burning pain in my bicep. Thinking I’d been hit by a ricochet, I put my handgun down on the range table and investigated. A huge wasp was attached to my arm.

After dealing with the wasp, regaining my composure, and noticing the wasp nest above my firing position, I also noticed that I had put my loaded, cocked .357 revolver down rather hurriedly, pointed right across the firing line at all the other shooters there. This revolver had a rather light single action trigger.

My chagrin at my error was eclipsed only by my relief that in dropping my gun it had not snagged its trigger on my range bag or otherwise gone off.

It could have “just gone off,” and been completely my own fault, in this situation. I agree that there is the possible accidental discharge, such as the Bersa mentioned above, and then there are the negligent discharges, which mine almost was.

Unless it’s a Charter Arms revolver. I was holding an empty one once, with the hammer cocked and my booger hook outside the trigger guard, and had the hammer fall for no reason I could determine. A former neighbor had a similar experience with hers. I would not have one of those in my house or about my person.

Finger was off the trigger, and yes it was pointed in a safe direction, the round was a Glazer Safety slug, it hit the base of a lathe, and went into a wall, it did not exit. As noted when the gun was taken apart we found a groove worn through the bar blocking the the firing pin. It was an older Bersa I had purchased used, and happened in 1991